Thursday, May 28, 2009

Movies. What are they all about? The best ones are about the human experience. The immediate experience. Relationships. Emotions. Feelings. Comfort. Inspiration. Misery. They shed light on our own experiences.

The best movies create the same feelings in you at the same point in the story every time you see them. So which are some of my favorites?

Field of Dreams - despair, then hope and the magic that can come from a child-like faith, when "Doc" saves the little girl who was choking on a hot dog

E.T. - again, despair then hope, as E.T. lifts Elliott heavenward across the sky just as the Feds are closing in - a magical moment in film history

Schindler's List - transformation from selfishness to selflessness and witnessing that one person can make a difference

Casablanca - sacrifice of personal happiness for the greater good; "Here's lookin' at you kid."

It's a Wonderful Life - a life full of deeds of quiet heroism and generosity add up to "Here's to my big brother George. The richest man in Bedford Falls."

The Color Purple - when Celie and her sister are reunited and Celie sees her children for the first time in 20 years, your heart soars. Even the improbable can come to pass.

Why does it matter? Because there are more great moments at weddings than in even the greatest movie. And, those moments should be preserved - exactly as you experienced them - with a cheeringfamily, live music, and just a tiny tear glistening at the corner of your eye. A great wedding movie delivers the immediate experience.

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

The premise is that a groom gets $20,000 and has a month to plan a dream wedding for his bride. The catch is that they can have no contact prior to the wedding and the bride can have no input. As with any (un)reality TV show, you have to suspend your disbelief. Who would risk everything going wrong on their wedding day? And, it's been rumored that the producers purposely undermine the wedding day just enough to (gasp!) create tension which can result in a happy ending.

I admit that I've seen parts of two episodes and there are some nuggets we can glean.

Lesson #1: The grooms do much better than you might imagine. Afterwards, they have a much greater appreciation of how much hard work goes into planning a wedding.

Lesson #2: The brides are more forgiving than you might imagine.

Lesson #3: The biggest sticking point seems to be selecting a wedding gown. Brides have definite ideas about what they want, and the grooms are usually clueless.

One groom designed the dress himself, complete with RED boning on the corset bodice and red lacing in the back. It had a slightly goth flavor. His mother counseled him that ivory would be more suitable, and to his credit, he wisely took her suggestion. His bride still hated the dress when she saw it the day before the wedding. So, he scrapped his plan and bought the dress of her dreams. Good man. This marriage might last.

Lesson #4: Weddings are as expensive in England as they are in San Francisco and the $20,000 budget doesn't go very far. If the groom rents the castle (literally) of his dreams, there is very little left to pay for everything else. The invitations are likely to be flyers printed at Kinko's (but sealed with red wax), the decor will be balloons not flowers, the linens will be paper tablecloths not linen, the cake will come from a supermarket and the meal may be a BBQ. But the castle, horse drawn carriage, elaborate lighting and belly dancers will be great. It's always a matter of priorities. And goofy priorities make for lively reality TV entertainment.

Lesson #5: In the end, it's all about how well the groom knows his bride's preferences and taste and how well both the bride and groom understand that starting with the wedding, marriage is all about compromise and pleasing the other person.

Friday, May 22, 2009

This is the season of graduations. We've all heard at least commencement speakers. Some boring, some inspirational. Sure, there was Ellen DeGeneres' Tulane speech last week, and President Obama's Notre Dame speech. But, we selected Steve Jobs' 2005 commencement speech at Stanford University.

Why?

We as a species are story tellers and Steve Jobs spins a wonderful tale. He's not eloquent. He reads from his notes. His presentation isn't stellar. But, his words and thoughts are powerful. This speech changed my opinion of Steve Jobs. That's powerful - changing minds.

At first I thought I'd watch this 15-minute piece for a few minutes, but gradually, I was drawn in and wanted to hear more. And I stayed until the very end.

Among other things, Steve said, "If you live every day as though it is your last, one day you will be right. If what you are about to do today is different than what you would do if this was your last day, then something has to change."

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Brides are seeking creative ways to carry on through these troubled economic times and still have stylish weddings. So, in the spirit of having style on a budget, but still having the real deal, here's a suggestion.

Celebrities who walk the red carpet borrow real jewels to accessorize their fabulous gowns. Although you are not likely to be able to waltz into Chopard, Harry Winston, or Fred Leighton and borrow a bauble, you can rent real jewelry for your wedding.

The necklaces Adorn offers are worth from $1500 to $70,000; bracelets worth from $3000 to $20,000; and earrings are worth from $2000 to $20,000. You can rent these jewels for 3% to 5% of their retail value for a few days, from $90 each.

Just 'cause you're on a budget doesn't mean you can't be princess for a day.

Monday, May 18, 2009

Here's a contest to win a bride's heart. For brides getting married in September 2009 or later, you can play a video game on the Get Married website and if you are the high scorer, you could win an Alfred Angelo wedding gown valued at up to $1800.

Saturday, May 16, 2009

Brides are more sophisticated and stylish than ever. They have the desire and, thanks to the internet, they have the ability to research every aspect of their wedding. So what did brides do before the 1990's?

Will You Be My Bridesmaid answers that question, at least in the realm of fashion. This unique blog showcases the fashions of the times in photos of bridesmaids from each decade starting in the 1940's. Many of the brides and their entourage were fashionable for the times. But in a few cases one wonders, what were they thinking?

Friday, May 15, 2009

Who inspires us? Sometimes it is someone you've never met. You feel as if, as with Michelangelo's painting, the Creation of Adam on the Sistine chapel, that man is touching perfection. When you witness someone doing what they love and what they are so good at, you feel a special sort of joy.

With a well-crafted movie, the content, the filming and the editing all help you feel the joy that the performer feels. So here is the Video of the Week of the amazing bicycle acrobatic skills of Danny MacAskill.

Thursday, May 14, 2009

We've seen our fair share of wedding cakes. They've ranged from very simple white fondant icing with a wide ribbon of the groom's family tartan at the base of each layer to Shinmin Li's I Dream of Cake and Sam Godfrey's Perfect Endings fantasy creations.

But honestly we haven't seen much whimsy or tasteful humor. So today...here come the whimsical cakes.

The first two create a fresh contemporary happy feeling. The last three take a turn for, well, for wedding hell.

Thursday, May 07, 2009

Why would you do that? Because they would provide wedding attire for the couple and wedding party, the venue, the wedding cake, flowers, music, rings and honeymoon.

Why wouldn't you do that? Because you would have no input on all those items, nor on the wedding date (week of July 15). The TODAY show and viewers will decide for you. You would have to agree to public appearances before the wedding, during and after the honeymoon. And of course, your wedding would be broadcast live to the world.

If you are game, fill out the application, attach a photo of both of you, a 1-minute video and mail it by May 15 to TODAY Throws a Wedding at 30 Rockefeller Center in NYC.

Wednesday, May 06, 2009

San Francisco is so beautiful in all kinds of weather. So, when we filmed a wedding at the Legion of Honor a few weeks ago with the amazingly talented Michelle Walker, we were delighted to see the fog waft past the stately columns.

On a wedding day, it's all about filming the action that's going on, so we had to let the fog keep rolling by. But, we wanted to capture some of that beauty so we returned to the Legion of Honor yesterday in the early morning hours to do just that. Here are a few still images. It was so quiet and serene.

Then, to our surprise, it was Free Tuesday. So we wandered the galleries of beautiful Rodin sculptures and were inspired by the special exhibition of Artistic Luxury: Faberge, Tiffany

and Lalique (through May 31). The Faberge eggs are justifiably famous. They are exquisite miniatures creatively designed with fabulous precious stones, gold and platinum, enamels and pearls. Among European royalty it was the tradition to give the gift of a decorated egg to commemorate events such as the birth of a child, a wedding anniversary or an Easter or Christmas holiday.

There was always a surprise inside such as a hand painted 10-panel picture frame of the royal palaces where the Empress spent her childhood.

Or a miniature gold coach to commemorate the coronation of Nicholas and Alexandra. The coach has an imperial crown of rose diamonds on the roof, platinum tires, rock crystal windows and an imperial eagle on either door.

Sunday, May 03, 2009

Have you seen Liz Guthrie's Bay Area Wedding Soup? Liz, the creative mind behind San Jose Wedding Consultants, offers planning tips and introduces you to the San Francisco Bay Area's best wedding vendors week after week. And she does it so cleverly, by marching through the alphabet from A to Z. She never skips a letter - not even Q or Z!

Friday, May 01, 2009

The Tribeca Film Festival in lower Manhattan is just ending this weekend. It's one of the best-known film festivals which showcase independent films. Even if you can't get to NYC, you can view some short features online. One of the shorts is our Video of the Week.

Why does it deserve this distinction? It is a well-paced 3-minute story which ends with a great punchline. [Caution: content is somewhat racy and definitely sacrilegious.] We've often said that a great movie creates emotion whether happiness or sadness. In this case, it is most definitely laughter.